Earring devices



Nov. 26, 1968- J. ROSENCRANS 3,412,578

EARRING DEVI CES Filed May 25, 1966 INVENTOR. JOHN L. ROSENCRANS ATTORNEYS 3,412,578 EARRING DEVICES John L. Rosencrans, Lantana, Fla., assignor to The Risrlon Manufacturing Company, Naugatuek, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 25, 1966, Ser. No. 552,784 3 Claims. (CI. 63-14) This invention pertains to jewelry items, and more particularly to earrings for adornment of the ear lobes of the wearer.

The invention is directed particularly to earrings which permit easy exchange by the wearer of the ornamentation carried by the clips or findings. The invention is specially adapted to enable the wearer to match her earring ornamentation to the dress she is wearing by employing socalled self-cover buttons as the ornamental portion of the earrings.

Self-cover buttons have long been known, but the type particularly suited for the present purpose is shown in U.S. Patent 2,685,722. Such a button, which is usually made of molded plastic, has the usual head or body portion from which there depends a stud or shank normally used in securing the button to an article of clothing. The head or body portion of the button is covered with any scrap of fabric, usually of the same material from which the associated article of clothing is formed. A clamping washer or disc carried by the shank is employed to hold the fabric scrap in covering relation to the head of the button. In the present invention, advantage is taken of the projecting shank or stud of the button as a means of removably attaching it to an ear clip or finding of an earring in a unique manner to provide a novel and useful combination possessing features not heretofore obvious to those skilled in the art.

The invention is illustrated and described with reference to the particular modification shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the assembled earring;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view in section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the underside of a button; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views of the button on lines 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of FIG. 4.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, earring 10 comprises a finding 12 by which it is adapted to be secured to the ear lobe of the wearer, and an ornamentation consisting of a button 14 separably carried by the finding.

Finding 12 is of generally conventional construction for the most part, consisting of a two-piece metal clip having a clamping arm 18 and a base member or anvil 20 to which arm 18 is pivotally connected forming an over-center Spring toggle by which the earring may be easily clipped to the ear lobe of the wearer. Anvil 20 is formed with an elliptical or equivalent non-circular aperture 22 (FIG. 3). A sponge rubber pad 24 is normally provided on the clamping surface of the anvil for greater comfort of the wearer.

As previously mentioned, the ornamentation for the earring assembly consists of button 14 which is formed of molded plastic and is covered with a scrap of fabric 30, generally of the same material from which some other article of clothing of the wearer is made in order that the ornamentation for the earring shall match the clothing of the wearer. Button 14 comprises a main body portion 32 having an integrally formed centrally depending nited States Patent 0 3,412,578 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 post or stud 34 on its undersurface by which it would ordinarily be secured to an article of clothing when employed as a fastening device. A hole 36 in the stud is provided, accordingly, by which the button could be sewn to the article of clothing. A cupped annular washer or disc 38 having serrations 40 about its outer rim is frictionally received on stud 34 to clamp the margin of the fabric 30 against the undersurface of the button to hold the fabric in covering relation to the body of the button. This general construction of self-cover button is described in U.S. Patent No. 2,685,722.

For the purposes of the present invention, the stud 34 of the button is formed to provide a cross-section 42 of elliptical or equivalent non-circular contour in that portion adjacent its outer free end, as seen best in FIGS. 3-6. This elliptical cross-section mates with aperture 22 of anvil 20 when the stud and aperture are oriented with their elongated axes in substantial coincidence. In this position, stud 34 is readily received in aperture 22 of the anvil. Locking of the button to the finding of the earring is then effected by relative rotation of the two members so that the elongated axes of the stud and aperture are no longer similarly oriented. In this non-oriented position, the margin of aperture 22 compressively deforms the inserted stud to form indentations on its opposite sides, locking the 'button to the finding. See FIGS. 2 and 3. Removal of the button from the finding may nevertheless be readily effected where it is desired to substitute a different ornament. This is simply accomplished by rotating the button and finding relative to each other to again bring the elongated axes of the stud and aperture to the first or oriented position. In this way, various sets of ornaments can be provided to match the particular clothing that the wearer has selected.

The invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing one practical embodiment, but it is apparent that substitutions and changes can be made which still fall within the novel concept as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination in an earring of a finding portion for securing the earring to the wearer, and a separable ornament portion carried by said finding, said ornament portion having a main body and a depending stud, said stud being of non-circular cross-section and formed of resiliently compressible material, said finding having an anvil portion with an aperture therein freely receiving said stud when the stud and aperture are oriented in a first position but causing interference between them when out of said oriented position, said ornament and finding being locked against separation by compressive deformation of the inserted stud against the sides of the aperture effected by relative rotation of said ornament and finding out of said first position.

2. The combination in an earring as defined in claim 1, wherein said ornament comprises a molded plastic button and said stud is molded integrally to form a shank therefor.

3. The combination as defined in claim 2, wherein the cross-section of the shank of said button and the aperture of said anvil portion are generally elliptical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1956 Gray. 4/1961 Adinolfi 24-113 

1. THE COMBINATION IN AN EARRING OF A FINDING PORTION FOR SECURING THE EARRING TO THE WEARER, AND A SEPARABLE ORNAMENT PORTION CARRIED BY SAID FINDING, SAID ORNAMENT PORTION HAVING A MAIN BODY AND A DEPENDING STUD, SAID STUD BEING OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION AND FORMED OF RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL, SAID FINDING HAVING AN ANVIL PORTION WITH AN APERTURE THEREIN FREELY RECEIVING SAID STUD WHEN THE STUD AND APERTURE ARE ORIENTED IN A FIRST POSITION BUT CAUSING INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THEM WHEN OUT OF SAID ORIENTED POSITION, SAID ORNAMENT AND FINDING BEING LOCKED AGAINST SEPARATION BY COMPRESSIVE DEFORMATION OF THE INSERTED STUD AGAINT THE SIDES OF THE APERTURE EFFECTED BY RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID ORANMENT AND FINDING OUT OF SAID FIRST POSITION. 